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APPENDIX XIII: TOG Naval Formations above (and below) the Battleship Squadron
APPENDIX XIII: TOG Naval Formations above (and below) the Battleship Squadron :By: Fireangel The Battleship Squadron is the foundation of TOG Naval Doctrine much in the same way that the Legion is the foundation of TOG Army land formations. To review: A Battleship Squadron is commanded by a Commodore (OF-6/O-7) and is most commonly composed of: :1 Battleship (BB) commanded by a Navarchos (OF-5/O-6) :1 Cruiser (CA) commanded by a Navarchos (OF-5/O-6) :2 Frigates (FF), each commanded by a Pluiarchos (OF-4.1/O-5) :4 Destroyers (DD), each commanded by a Pluiarchos (OF-4.1/O-5) :2 Escorts/Patrol Ships (DE or PF), each commanded by a Pluiarchos, J.G. (OF-4/O-5) A Battleship Squadron also generally includes approximately a Wing of fighters (the totality of the warship fighter complement) and between a Cohort and an Auxilia of Marines (the totality of the warship Marines complement). The fighter wing is often under the command of a Commodore (OF-6/O-7) and the ranking Marine is most commonly a Legatus (OF-4/O-5). Carrier Squadrons A Carrier Squadron most often replaces the BB for a Battleship-class Carrier (BCV), but sometimes keeps the BB by swapping out lesser warships for their carrier counterparts. The end result is a Carrier Squadron that has between two and six wings of fighters at its disposal. The BCV’s commander is still a Navarchos (OF-5/O-6), but is on occasion a Commodore (OF-6/O-7) in his own right. The Carrier Squadron is often commanded by a Rear Admiral (OF-7/O-8) due to the high number of Commodores commanding fighter wings, but just as frequently the CV Squadron is under the command of a Commodore (referred to informally as a Senior Commodore or Commodore Maximus). Battleship Group 2-5 BB Squadrons form a Battleship Group, though pure Battleship Groups are extremely rare. More frequently 1-2 Carrier Squadrons and 1-4 BB Squadrons are organized into a Carrier Group. A BB or CV Group is generally under the command of a Rear Admiral (OF-7/O-8) and has anywhere between three and seven wings’ (or more) worth of fighters under the command of a second Rear Admiral as CAG (Commander Air Group). The Marines compliment approximates a Legion in strength, with the senior Marines officer generally holding the rank of Classiari (Marines) Prefect, even if it is not an actual Legion under his command. Naming Conventions Squadrons are commonly named for their flagship (BB or BCV) and carry the designation BBS or CVS depending on their status as a Battleship Squadron or a Carrier Squadron. For example, the IWS Palestinium Battleship’s squadron would be known as the Palestinium BBS. In reserve squadrons that frequently change flagships or are closely associated with one world, the name of the operating area (world/system/province/prefecture/district) is used, but always with a numerical designator even if it is the only squadron in that operational area (i.e. the 1st Thapsus BBS). Groups follow a similar model, though all Groups bear a number assigned by their operational fleet and the designation BBG or CVG depending on their status as a Battleship Group or a Carrier Group. For example, the IWS Palestinium or our previous example is the flagship of the 298th Palestinium BBG of the Alesia Prefecture Fleet. In general speech, it would be simply referred to as the Palestinium Group. Fleet BB/CV Groups (plus many “lesser” formations and independent ships and facilities) are organized into Fleets under the command of a Vice Admiral (OF-8/O-9). There is no set number of Groups in a Fleet; by the same token, there are different kinds of (BBS-grade) Fleets: the most common type of Fleet is the Provincial Fleet, comprising all the Naval assets in a Province, including “lesser” Fleets, such as multiple BBG/CVG formations for patrol purposes. Prefecture Fleets are the same, but at the Prefecture Level, often mirroring the organizational mess of Provincial/Prefecturial/National Garrison Legions on the ground. In addition, there are still active (Constellation Name) or “Stellar” Fleets named for the constellations as seen from Terra which served mainly as operational areas. Also there are both TOG and Imperial Fleets, which exist under the same rules as their dirtside counterparts. Finally, there are ad hoc Fleets, assembled for either administrative purposes or a specific mission; sometimes these live long enough to become established units in the Navy. Operational Theater Fleet Fleets are organized into Operational Theaters under the command of an Admiral (OF-9/O-10). Operational Theaters are primarily administrative organizations managing multiple Fleets in vast regions of a single District (in peacetime) or in a single Prefecture/Province (in wartime). Grand Fleet Operational Theaters are organized into Grand Fleets under the command of a Grand Admiral (OF-10/O-10*). There are currently 11 Grand Fleets in the TOG Imperial Navy; one for each of the seven TOG Districts, one for the Commonwealth/New Orion Territories, one for the KessRith front, one for the Naram region and one as the Imperial Grand Fleet (which is actually the smallest of them). All Grand Admirals answer directly to Caesar (or the Imperial Warlord, if one has been appointed). Smaller Formations In the other direction, the vast majority of warships are not organized as part of Battleship/Carrier Squadrons; these shall be discussed herein. “Short” BB Squadrons (missing more than one major ship, but still including a BB or BB-class CV) are fairly common and are treated as standard BB squadrons. Battlecruiser/Battlecarrier Squadrons are the same as BB squadrons except that the flagship is Cruiser-class rather than BB class. Cruiser Squadrons are essentially half of a Battlecruiser Squadron built for independent operation; one CA, one FF, two DDs and 1-2 patrol-class craft. CA Squadrons are generally commanded by a Senior Navarchos or (rarely) by a Commodore. Battleship Squads (not to be confused with Battleship Squadrons) follow an older naval doctrine but are occasionally still deployed. A BB (or Line) Squad consists of two BBs of the same class and two lesser escorts (known informally as “consorts”), usually cruisers or frigates, and is under the command of a Senior Navarchos or a Commodore. 2-3 BB Squads were traditionally grouped together as a Line Squadron under the command of a Commodore or a Rear Admiral, with additional assets added as needed, but as has been mentioned, only the BB Squad remains of these “old school” formations. On occasion, a similar formation of two same-class cruisers (or even frigates) and two “lesser” escorts is assembled as a Naval Squad, but these are rare exceptions. Destroyer Squadrons come in two basic flavors; the first (often called a Destroyer Flotilla) is 4-6 destroyers (generally of the same class, sometimes with 1-2 substituted for DD-class CVs), sometimes with a Frigate-class flagship and commanded by a Senior Pluiarchos or a Navarchos. The second type is extremely common as System Defense Squadrons and are composed of one or two destroyers or destroyer-class carrier and 4-8 destroyer escorts or patrol-class ships. These squadrons are most commonly commanded by a Navarchos or a Plularchos. Patrol Squads Beneath all these formations are two- and three-ship formations, usually for patrol duties. Generally, TOG has a capital ship paired with a smaller escort or two; usually of a complementary nature (Pharetra CV’s escorting a destroyer with little or no organic fighter cover, for example). In such cases, the CO of the larger ship is senior in command. Another common pairing is two similar-sized ships with different yet complementary capabilities (a DDG paired with a DCV, for example). Far less common in the TOG Navy (at least in the human-controlled navy) are pairs or trios of identical capital ships, such as three Imerssa-class frigates. While such formations are common in system defense PF flotillas, they are rare outside of Ssora fleets. Category:A to Z Index Category:Fireangel Articles Category:Original Articles Category:Military Category:Naval Category:Formations